Deccan famine of 1630–1632
The Deccan famine of 1630–1632 was a famine associated with a back-to-back crop failure. The famine happened during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The famine was the result of three consecutive staple crop failures, causing plague and leading to intense hunger, disease, and displacement in the region. The famine was further intensified by the Mughal campaign led by Shah Jahan in Malwa and the Deccan after Malwa’s Mughal commander turned rogue and joined hands with the Deccan forces of Nizam Shah and Adil Shah. About three million people died in Gujarat in the ten months ending in October 1631 while another million died around Ahmednagar. The report gives an overall death toll of 7.4 million by late 1631, which might be for the whole region.
